If you haven’t already put a lot of work into boosting your social media presence, what are you waiting for? Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and the like, are proven ways to increase your engagement with potential clients and can contribute to solid leads in your pipeline.

On the flip side, if you feel like you have exhausted all of your energy into making your social media successful and have seen little to no reward, it’s time to reevaluate, cut your losses, and figure out what does work so that you can start to see the results you want.

If you’ve invested in paid ads, but have seen no return…

Paid advertising via platforms like Facebook and Instagram can be beneficial for many reasons. It tends to be cheaper than traditional advertising and allows you to track leads much easier than you could through print campaigns. However, if you’ve been paying for social media ads and have yet to see a return on your investment, you should be thinking about why these ads are missing the mark.

It could be that you aren’t targeting the right audience, or that you’re focusing on too large a group. Think of your ads this way: in a room of 100 people, what percentage of those people are most likely to need your services right now? Targeted ads are a great way to pull in customers who are ready to buy today, but aren’t necessarily worth directing toward those who aren’t.

If you still want to make your business a focal point without paying for ads, consider starting a Facebook for business page which will put your services front and center and allow you to interact with potential clients from a professional perspective. This will also give past clients the opportunity to review your business, which can be a big positive. Just make sure you maintain a pleasant report with the people interacting with your page (e.g. keeping up with messages, comments, etc.).

If you’ve been testing your luck with live videos but are getting no engagement…

Facebook Live is steadily growing in popularity. Big name companies, mom and pop shops, and everyone in between seem to be utilizing this tool to showcase their brand. But it can also be a tricky thing to master and you certainly can’t become a Facebook Live sensation overnight.

That being said it’s not for everyone, and if you’ve been trying to reach out to clients via live videos but don’t seem to be getting anywhere, there are plenty of other avenues you can explore. It takes engagement to get engagement, and you can start small by responding to comments, messaging potential clients directly, and sharing more insight into your day-to-day.

If you’re trying to keep up with a bunch of different platforms…

Sometimes more is more and sometimes less is more, but if you’ve been struggling to keep up with multiple social media platforms it might be a sign that you should focus your attention on just one or two.

The most important thing to remember is that there’s no point in even having a social media account if you aren’t going to dedicate the time and energy toward keeping it active and engaging. Having a Facebook is great, but if the last time you posted anything was in 2015, it’s not a good look for you or your business.

Think about the platform that would afford you the most opportunity to interact with your sphere, and devote at least a few hours each week to keeping up with comments, posting relevant content, and checking in with clients. You’d be surprised how far your efforts can go when you set aside the time. And if you still need a little bit of help, try using a social media management system like Hootsuite.

Social media can be a challenging field to navigate but is absolutely necessary if you want to make an impact in your industry. Keep your efforts focused and driven, and remember not to spread yourself too thin.